By ZAKAA LAZARUS
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Youth Development, Dr Maryam Isma’il Keshinro, has affirmed her readiness to canvass the partnership of international organisations for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to enable it record more achievements.
Keshinro stated this when she led some Management staff of the Ministry on a familiarization visit to the NYSC National Directorate Headquarters in Abuja.
The Permanent Secretary advocated increased funding, more staff and enhanced infrastructural development for the Scheme so as to ensure more effective and efficient service delivery.
She commended successive managers of the Scheme for mentoring Corps Members on leadership, in addition to the entrepreneurial trainings that had produced many Corps entrepreneurs.
The Permanent Secretary, who did her national service in Abia State in 1997, lauded the roles of Corps Members in the promotion of national unity and integration.
She also advocated robust stakeholders’ collaboration and patronage of NYSC commercial products like the bottled water, bread and poultry, among others.
“I am proud of you for what you are doing. Thank you for working as a family. We are working for Nigeria and I look forward to a robust working relationship with you,” she said.
In his remarks, the NYSC Director General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, congratulated Dr. Keshinro on her appointment.
Nafiu said that the Scheme was mobilising about 400,000 Corps Members with a projected figure of 650,000 Corps Members from Nigerian Corps Producing Institutions alone starting from year 2026.
He assured the Permanent Secretary of the Management’s commitment to enhancing the security and general welfare of both Staff and Corps Members.
